Clark Earns Doctorate in World Religions

March 22, 2011

W. Michael Clark, director of the Ministry Training Institute at OBU, graduated from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., with a Ph.D. in world religions in December. Dr. Clark also serves as assistant professor of applied ministry at OBU.

Clark’s dissertation was titled “Suffering in the Sunni and Calvinist Worldviews: Demonstrating the Value of the Comparative Approach in the Study of Religion in Service of Christian Missions.”

“Dr. Michael Clark’s graduation from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary with a PhD. in World Religions is a significant achievement,” said Dr. Mark McClellan, dean of the Joe L. Ingram School of Christian Service. “He was not only a top student in the program but was an excellent administrator in the Great Commission Center there while he was studying. His minor fields of applied apologetics and missiology will also make a wonderful contribution to his role as both a scholar and practitioner to OBU both on campus and through the Distance Learning MTI Program. I am deeply grateful that God brought Dr. Clark to play a vital role in the School of Christian Service and its future.”

Clark joined OBU as the director of the Ministry Training Institute in 2010. He previously was instructor of world religions at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and director of international missions at Sojourn Community Church, both in Louisville, Ky. His academic interests include non-Christian religions, Christian apologetics and international missions.

He was born and raised in Chile, where his parents served as missionaries with the Southern Baptist International Mission Board. He earned his bachelor’s degree in religious studies and Spanish from the University of Arizona. He earned his master’s degree at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary while serving in various roles in children’s, youth and college ministry in Arizona.

At OBU, Clark teaches courses on topics such as Christian worldview, Islam and the Christian faith, and the emerging Church. He is a member of several professional organizations including the American Academy of Religion, the Evangelical Missiological Society and the Evangelical Philosophical Society.

Clark is passionate about international missions, having served for various lengths of time in South America, North Africa, the Middle East, South Asia and Southeast Asia.

He and his wife, Jenny, have one son, Scout. They are members of Heritage Church in Shawnee.